A Couple of Tools I Like: ViewDNS.info, BustAName and ReverseInternet

There are a ton of tools and websites I use every day and today I wanted to discuss a few I use daily.  I could talk about the number one tool, DomainTools all day,  but there are others that are useful as well. I’ll start out by saying they are not paid endorsements but merely things I think are worth sharing because I like the sites.  I am always thankful when people point out tools so I thought I would pass it on.

ViewDNS.info Like most of these sites, this site was created by a numbers guy.  Michael Huges is sharp and has created a one stop shop for all kinds of data retrieval.  Much of the data you can retrieve is not for the common folk but for those that know how to use it will greatly benefit from being able to get it quickly at one spot.  Some will argue that you can get this data at other places which is true, but I find it handy to bookmark ViewDNS and have it laid out cleanly in front of me.  I personally use it for IP address lookup (to find out who left the rude comments), the abuse contact (for scraper and malicious sites), and various info about my and other sites like site speed.   There is so much data there if you know how to use it.

BustAName.com If you are trying to create a brand and and don’t want to spend much money,  then you’ll like BustAName.com .   There are a ton of sites that do the same thing but I think the engine behind Bustaname is much stronger than the rest.  I love the fact that you can show only the created names that are still available. They have an affiliate program (I have not signed up for it but will), which wouldn’t seem like a great deal until I saw that they offer domains for $7.45 and you get a little bit of that with each sale if they’ve come through you.

ReverseInternet.com Jamie at DotWeekly, was the first one I saw mention it and now I use it almost every day. It’s the ultimate free spy tool.  It picks apart a website and trying to find in common code like Google Analytics code or Commission Junction’s code.  It allows you to often find out who owns a domain, even if it’s under whois privacy.  People generally use the same Analytics code on all their domains and some times you can find a domain that isn’t under privacy but shares the same code, letting you know the owner.  It also lets you see how a site owner has built backlinks.  That’s important because if you have a similar site it can give you a good lead for another place to get a link.

Have a tool you’d like me to browse? Send me an email and I’ll take a look.